Chapter 19
A Passage Not Seen
Ryan followed Charis for how long he did not know. Every time he tried to recall why he had come to Aion the thought would slip just out of his reach.
His sister gazed at him over her shoulder, “Soon brother, we shall be to the place and nigh the one who saved me soon.”
The longer they walked the more unease Ryan felt, the feeling festered in him till he halted his steps, forcing Charis to do the same. “Is there something wrong Dryan?” She asked peering up at him through worried eyes.
“I… I do not know I presently have this feeling that all is not right here.” He focused on his sister, “Are you sure you know where you are going Charis?”
She nodded vigorously, “Of course I know to where we go, I would never guide you wrong, just as you would not lead me false either.” She smiled up at him, “We must hurry he is awaiting us.” Ignoring the constant gnawing of caution in his gut, Dryan continued on going where his sister led him.
Dorien looked to the prince that he had been sent to protect, the boy had no understanding of the danger he was closing in upon. The Heavenly shook his head, the poison of the land plus the one that was already flowing through Dryan’s veins was fogging his mind to the truth. His scrutiny turning to the girl that was guiding Dryan his gaze narrowed, though the girl might have once been the young prince’s kid sister she was only an empty shell now. Hollow and used up. She knew to what her task was and she had executed it well, Dorien placed a hand on Dryan’s shoulder and spoke a word into his ear. Again the boy pushed aside the warnings; still the Heavenly tried again, his head shaking the whole time, for he knew that it was hard to tell anyone anything when they shut their ears to you.
They all moved together, with Amori and Leora walking between Morgan and Cody. Amori had no idea what this “Tselel Legeon” was, but she did figure that it must be some kind of serious, since, it had put Morgan on edge. She looked to Cody who was stand on her left side, his eyes roamed the surrounding terrain his stride was controlled but alert, as his hand rested calmly on the sword that he had been given.
She had never experienced the feeling of being stalked before until now. It was not something that Amori hoped to relive in her near future. The sun began setting earlier than she would have thought that it would, but then again she had no idea how long they had been in Aion, that along with its whacked timeline she accepted the fact that there was no use in thinking about it. In no time the four were surrounded by a sea of darkness. Amori could hardly see a thing; the only anchor she received was Cody’s hand taking hold of hers. To some that single jester would have seeming small but for her it was a much needed lifeline.
Morgan wandered on, not sure of which direction they were to follow, since Dryan had been the one with the map. Still he ambled on the darkness not affecting him. Looking to the others he noted their hesitant steps, no one said a word, all of them knowing that something unknown followed them in the blackness of the night. Something that not even Morgan could see with all his gifts and abilities.
Leora felt the presence that was creeping in the shadows, and she knew that it watched her. A shiver ran up her spine fear fighting to enter into her being. Knowing that she was fighting a losing battle she did the first thing that came to her mind.
Lifting up her voice she sang into the darkness, the first notes were weak but as she continued on a strength not originally belonging to her welled up inside, until she sang in a voice of one not her own.
“Upon the Wind this message carried, within our hearts the call resounds. Hope again to open its mouth. Whispering words so sweet in sound, till all recall till our hearts cry out.
Resonating sounds of joy and grace, again they all show us their face, when the light once more to aionios shine, omen emunah, shall be our battle cry, freedom aphratos given out…”
Her song chased away the shadowed figures that waited to consume them; a light that burned bright from within her illuminated the dark places giving them a way to see.
Dryan and Charis stood at the edge of a dried brook, “He shall meet us on the other side, come brother.”
Charis continued on but stopped when Dryan did not follow, “What is it now?”
“Charis, I cannot cross over.” She gazed at him confused.
“Do you not trust me?”
“It is not that, I truthfully cannot cross over.”
She looked to the other side then returned to her brother’s side, “But why not? We are but a moment away from him, do you not wish to meet the one who saved me?” Tear welled in her eyes.
Bending down so that they were eyelevel Dryan said, “Believe me I do want to meet him-”
A smile broke out over her face, “Then come for he desires to meet you as well.” Grabbing his hand she tried once again to pull him along but he wouldn’t.
“Charis I will not go, tell him to come to me.”
A look of insult crossed over her face, as she began to pout as she had when she was a younger child. “He will not come to you, you must go to him. It would be a great insult if I were to ask this of him.”
“I am sorry then Charis, but I cannot cross over.” He watched through a calculated gaze, as for a moment his jumbled thoughts cleared, “Why is it important that I meet him?”
“Because he is the one who saved me, I told you this already.” Her lower lip pushed out in exasperation, “He knows that you wish to thank him for saving me.”
Dryan shook his head, things were not adding up. “Tell me his name.”
Charis took a step back, her face shrouded over in a false mask of calmness “He does not wish for you to know until the two of you have met, please brother, enough of this we must go to him. Our talking has wasted much time.”
“Who is he Charis?” His voice held a dangerous warning that she knew would be unwise to cross. With a submissive sigh she turned her gaze to the rocky ground, “He is…” A sound loud like thunder rent through the land. Reaching out to Charis Dryan halted as he saw the glint in her eyes, a feeling of dread like he had never know before washed over his soul.
Dorien reached out to Dyran yet again and voiced only two words, “Run, escape!”
Urgency unknown to him rang through his mind and thoughts. He turned away from his sister and took off at a run, before shifting and flying away as quick as his wings would carry him.
The sun rose just as quickly as it had set, bringing with it a renewed since of hope. Brighter than it had been the previous day the red sun of Aion positioned it’s self before them. Lifting his hand to halt the progress Morgan stopped.
Looking to him Leora asked what the problem was, he didn’t reply keeping his attention pinpointed on to expanses before them. As he turned to speak to the others a reverberation loud as thunder echoed through the land around them. The force a something even greater knocked Amori to the now grassy terrain floor. Bending down Cody made a move to help her but as he tried she stayed rooted to the spot. Her fingernails digging into the soil, squatting down in front of her he reached out to her in an attempt to snap her out of the temporary paralyzed state.
Amori sucked in gulps of air, as she desperately tried to remember how she had ended up on her hands and knees.
She heard voice in the back of her mind, and thought that she had even felt a touch against her face but Amori wasn’t able to concentrate enough on them. The feeling passed over slowly, releasing her body from its tight fisted grip one finger at a time.
Cody watched as Amori came out of whatever it was that had locked her in place, grabbing hold of her once her head had lifted and her gaze had wondered to his, Cody help her stand up. Without releasing her he continued their eye contact trying to make sure that she was alright. The two not pulling away from each other until Morgan said, “It seems that he has found his way back to us.”
Leora turned her eyes from Amori and Cody to where Morgan was pointing to, a shout of joy escaped her lips before she could contain it. Jumping up she changed to unbound taking off she called out to Dryan, a song lilt in her voice.
Hearing the trill Ryan let out one of his own, an immediate answer sounded out to him. As he let out yet another, his sharp eyes spotted Leora working her way to him. Angling his body he shot towards her, opening up his wings just as they both were about to collide he hugged her.
Morgan watched the display, a dark mood rising in him.
Ryan and Leora hit the ground, a little ways off from the others, with her still protected in his wings. Both shifted at the same time to bound form, with Leora quickly moving herself from on top of him. Whacking his arm she said, “Please, do not ever do that again.”
He laughed, “Forgive me, I couldn’t help it,” rolling over he got to his feet, and then stuck out his hand to help her up. Once she was standing on her own two feet, he reached out a hand to her hair pulling out the grass that had gotten stuck there. “Maybe I should not have dropped out of the sky that way, but you have to admit that it was fun, kind of like what we did when we were youths.” Leora nodded a smile briefly lifting the sides of her mouth, before she took a step back putting distance between them. A look of hurt confusion passed over his face till remembrance came to him. Turning he watched Morgan, noting that he stood stock still, while Amori and Cody made their way to where he and Leora were standing.
His fist clenched and unclenched as he tried for restraint. Morgan moved with a controlled stride, while inside what he had just seen between his chosen and Dryan had ignited a jealousy he had not previously known that he had borne. It burned in him, white hot, only his subconscious knowledge that they need the other, kept him from unleashing what was building up in him.
Leora could see and feel the fight Morgan was having, and wished that she had not been so impulsive when she had seen Dryan. Stepping forward she intercepted Morgan before he had fully reached Dryan. Placing a hesitant hand on Morgan’s forearm she forced herself to look him in the eyes. The cool contempt that was given her made her want to shiver, until another thought took root, pushing it aside to be studied later she took a step closer to him, trying to say what she did not want the others to hear with her eyes.
A noise like chanting rose up around them, the ground pulsed with the beating of a drum. With a final look to Leora Morgan took a step back. “We need to find the bridge that leads out of Aion.” Regarding Dryan he said, “Give Leora the map we need to know where we are.”
Handing it to her Dryan did not remove his gaze from Morgan’s. Laying the map down on the ground she studied it, sending a glance Dryan’s way she asked, “When you were up high did you see a water brook?”
He nodded, “It is a good distance northwest, I would say roughly seven or so miles.”
Confusion tightened her features, a knot forming between her brow as Leora shook her head. Standing she turned so that she was facing the east, “The crossover should be right in front of us.”
Taking a step forward Cody checked the spot that Leora had pointed to, there was nothing. Moving so that she stood next to Cody, Leora gazed in the same direction as him, “Elves are blessed with the ability to see into the unseen, I believe that it is here but Legeon has hidden it.” She looked up and stared directly at Cody, “Stop looking through you mortal eyes, you will never find it with their sight.”
Cody tried, but he had no knowledge of how to look through another set of eyes. He had never even known that he could. Pushing the thoughts of doubt aside he focused on what was before him. And though it came vague at first soon he could see something in the near distance that looked a lot like the pathway that they had entered through. Moving so that he stood between the trees Cody looked to the two half symbols that were engraved in white upon each tree. Reaching out he touched one with his left hand, a burning sensation moved up his arm and then through to his other. Pulling his hand back he looked to the spot where his hand had previously rested, the marking was gone seemingly burned away.
He took a bemused step back. Turning his eyes on to the other tree he saw that the same had happened there as well. Looking to his hands he saw no difference on them, turning to the others he had to blink a couple of time so that he could focus on them. “I think we should pass over now.”
Amori watched Cody knowing that something was not right with him, but equated it to the fact that he was finding out stuff about himself that he had never know before. A running shiver crawled up her spine as the chanting began again. This was a realm that she would most definitely not be returning to. She didn’t think that she would be able to handle the shifting timelines much longer; her brain could only take so much of the confusion. A prayer that she had not known resided inside her came out on a whisper upon the wind.
Looking to the other she asked, “Can we crossover?”
Leora was the one to answer her. “Cody has made it obvious that there is a passageway here, the only thing is that it seems to have been set in a different time era than the one we are currently in. The only one of us who would be able to pass through would be him.”
A sudden thought popped into Cody’s head, “What if I pass through and bring the rest of you in that way. I could be like the life line.”
Leora’s eyes lit up at that idea, “It is worth a try…” The sound of chanting rose louder and closer than it had before, along with the beating drum that pulsated through the land. Those with sharp hearing now able to understand the two words continuously repeated. “Tselel Legeon!” With her eyes Leora communicated to Cody that there was need for him to hurry. With a nod he crossed over. A moment later his hand reappeared from what seemed like nowhere, taking hold of it since she was the closest Amori was pulled through, next went Leora then Dryan and lastly Morgan.
Each took a refreshing breath of the open air in Aiken, it was wild and untamed and as life giving as a drink of cool water. They all sat eating a quick meal, neither wanting to stay close to the opening into Aion. Once finished, they set out on their way once again, their path aimed towards the mid-plane of Aiken and Enos.